The freedom to think, innovate and create something solely using imagination and logical reasoning

my AIF application for University of Waterloo - software engineering

Question :-

Reasons for choosing your program and UWaterloo.

(900 character limit)

My response :- What could give me the freedom to think, innovate and create something solely using my imagination and logical reasoning ...software was the answer. A set of well-organized characters shaping into a expedient program fascinated me. As I learned, my interest grew, firelocks, data integrity and cryptography revolved in my head. My ardent desire to build a world free from cybercrime made me read Ian Goldberg's work on cyber security and privacy.

Being renowned as the most innovative university in Canada for 26 successive years and having edified people like Peter Masak and David Cheriton, the University of Waterloo has been my dream destination. I wish to develop my skills and learn from erudite professors like Richard Cleve. Its co-op program and startup incubators like Velocity surely act as a push factor that indisputably make me choose the University of Waterloo over all the others.(920 characters)

Do give me suggestions to fit in the character limit without loosing the essence of my answer.

Should I include my programming knowledge as I do know languages like python and C# (and many more) or leave it for the answer which mentions "State your coding experience"?

Hetav, your first paragraph is totally irrelevant to the question being asked. This is not a reason for choosing Waterloo in relation to your major, this is the reason why you read Golberg's work. Your second paragraph is also more of an fyi for the reviewer, who already knows these information so this cannot be considered a reason for your choice of program or university either. Basically, what I am saying is, whether you agree or not, your response is incorrect. While I can see why you thought that your response is correct, it doesn't really relate to your chosen major or reason for choosing the university on a personal basis.

There are 2 factors that need to be responded to in this character limited response. The reason for your choice of university is related to your academic goals. What you hope to learn based on what you already know. So yes, mention your familiarity with computer languages in relation to the academic requirements of your studies. Then there is the professional goal. That is where the choice of Waterloo University comes in. Discuss what internship or training programs the university offers that you hope to participate in because it will give you an edge as a future professional.

The statement wants you to prove that you have seriously considered Waterloo as a first choice university by showing your familiarity with the university and course offerings. These are personal reasons that should never include publicly known facts as that shows that you just have a superficial understanding of the university and the course offerings. At the moment, you are offering a response that is not aligned with the prompt requirements. I suggest you develop a new, more relevant response instead.